How to make yourself unpopular: 1 (London)

As pointed out in the blog Logic-defying thinking, I have found mainland Chinese people to be Sino-centric in their view of life.  

They refer to China not as 中国 Zhōngguó / “middle kingdom” when abroad, but as 国内 guónèi / “country inside” / within the country, domestic [flight, e.g.].  For example:  “国内的东西比较便宜 guónèi de dōngxi bǐjiào piányi / Things within the country are cheaper”, i.e., things in China are cheaper — when commenting on prices in London, say.

They also refer to non-Chinese people as 外国人 wàiguórén / “external country person”, i.e., a foreigner.

In my opinion, both of these terms are correct when used within China, but not when they are abroad.

I was once invited to a party thrown by a Malaysian chap who’d grown up in Beijing, so some of the guests were from mainland China.  I’d arrived with Charles Aylmer (Cambridge University Library).  

When we went over to the Chinese group, Charles introduced himself in Chinese.  Greatly pleased to have found someone outside their group, especially a Westerner, who could speak Chinese, they said, “我们是从国内来的 wǒmen shì cóng guónèi lái de / We’re from within the country.”  

The little demon in me just couldn’t resist trying to wean them off this Sino-centric attitude, so I said, “啊，你们是英国人 / Āh, nǐmen shì Yīngguórén / Ah, you are British.”  They looked totally puzzled.  I explained, in Chinese: “你们刚刚说你们是从国内来的，你们现在是在英国，那么国内就是英国，所以你们就是从英国来的。/ You’ve just said you're from within the country.  You're now in Britain, so ‘within the country’ is ‘Britain’, therefore you’re from Britain.”

They refused to speak to me for the rest of the evening.

(London, 1987)